I challenged Ron to plank

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
I challenged Ron to plank, figuring he wouldn’t make it past 30 seconds…..the absolute most I can manage currently as I work my way back to a decent fitness level.

He was chatting with me, having a conversation, not in the least shaky or straining, like I am when I plank! I stopped timing him after a minute plus, when it became obvious he could do it all night! I hate him 😡 and I’m very proud of him 💕all at once! 🤦🏼‍♀️

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Amazing!

I come from a long line of plunkers and ploppers.

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I have never been able to understand what the value of doint it is. Last time I wanted to see how long I could do it I just gave up after 5 minutes because I was just too bored.

Now full disclosure: I have a longer torso compared to most people and all kinds of arthritis in my spine, and scoliosis, so that may be part of the reason I can do it with ease.
 
@Oris Borloff, here’s an excerpt from an article about the benefits of planking.


The core has many vital functions. In fact, the core muscles are involved in just about every imaginable thing that you do, including:

– Back support: Lower-back pain affects 80 percent of all Americans at some point in life. Chronic lower back pain can be painful to the point of being debilitating. Core muscles play the primary role in ensuring a healthy back.

– Posture: Strong core muscles are vital to good posture, which both “trims your silhouette and projects confidence.” Most importantly, good posture limits the amount of wear and tear that inevitably takes its toll as we age.

– Routine movements: Any movement that involves the manipulation of your torso requires the core muscles to execute. This includes bending, sitting, rotating, and standing.

– Stability and balance: Your core essentially “connects” the upper and lower parts of the body. As such, good balance and stability require a well-conditioned core.


The plank (which gets its name from a stiff board; you’ll find out why!) is a simple, anytime, anywhere core exercise that can produce some fantastic benefits for the entire body. Yes – the whole body; not just the core muscles.

The classic plank activates the muscles of the abdomen, biceps, shoulders, buttocks, quadriceps, and shins! Moreover, according to the American Council on Exercise, performing the classic plank on a regular basis significantly reduces the risk of lower and upper back pain.

Some other benefits of planking include:

– A boost to metabolism: Planks burn more calories than crunches or sit-ups.

– Improving core definition: Planking engages all of the major core muscles groups.

– Better posture: Planks help to keep your bones and joints in alignment, which encourages good posture.

– More flexibility: Planks stretch all of the posterior muscle groups – shoulders, shoulder blades, and collarbone, hamstrings, foot arches, and toes.

– Mood benefits: While this benefit may seem farfetched, consider that planking stretches the muscles most prone to tension (read: stress). Planking stretches your legs, thighs, back, and shoulders, eases tension and stress, and in turn, helps calm the brain’s fight-or-flight response.
 
@Ronni, i didn't see anything about what amount of time they recommend you start off doing it and what incremental goals are suggested for getting the benefits. I do some stretches and it seems like something i might easily add.
I would think the idea would be to do it for a few seconds, rest for a few then do again, starting with short intervals for short periods and building up with practice? That way you don't exhaust yourself and become discouraged with trying to do it. But i don't know and wonder if your source of info on it mentions that.
 
Well I tried it in the early hours of this morning.. when I couldn't sleep and was looking for something to pass the time.

Amazingly I got down there.. and even more amazingly i got back up.. but altho' I could raise my torso off the floor.. lying in the same position as ''Ron'' is in the picture that Ronni posted.. I just couldn't get my legs ..or more precisely my knees to lift off the floor... :oops::ROFLMAO:
 
hollydolly said:
Well I tried it in the early hours of this morning.. when I couldn't sleep and was looking for something to pass the time.

Amazingly I got down there.. and even more amazingly i got back up.. but altho' I could raise my torso off the floor.. lying in the same position as ''Ron'' is in the picture that Ronni posted.. I just couldn't get my legs ..or more precisely my knees to lift off the floor... :oops::ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
i just looked up some info on the exercise. The almost whole body benefits intrigued me.

While it doesn't say anything about intervals between short holdings as you build up to the minimum of 5 minutes daily for the full benefits from it, it does say that when you are beginning you can rest knees on floor till your arms and thighs get more capable of supporting you for longer. They also say to start with 1 1/2 minutes and build up to 5 minutes in 30 second increments, but it is clear by the photos their target audience is 30 somethings. i have no doubt, however that someone who had been doing regularly (daily or even 4 times a week) could continue to do, it properly well into their 70s-80s barring any serious injuries or health issues.

I also think older folks could come to do it the 5 minutes a day by adapting the 'schedule' for building up to that to their individual tolerance, abilities, needs. i'm going to give it ago and will let y'all know how it goes even if i abandon it. The hardest part for me will be investing the time to 'work' up to the recommended time, tho that should be easier as doing it routinely strengthens my muscles.

i could only manage 30 seconds full plank (knees up) easily, but had no trouble getting down and up, and if i thought i was going to, i would simply make sure to do it where something to use to get up was near enough. Learned along time ago you stop anything (swimming, physical games, splitting wood, heavy house cleaning, weeding) BEFORE you feel totally exhausted. Especially now that i tire more quickly than when younger and it takes me much longer to 'recuperate' from the exhaustion.

Oh, and here's link to that article in case anyone wants to read it in full, it also includes instructions for what they call 'side plank', where only 1 arm and side of foot are supporting you.

https://sport.onehowto.com/article/how-to-do-plank-exercises-correctly-4887.html
 
I wonder if this has any anything to do with a woman's center of gravity being lower than a man's.

There used to be a a little trick played at parties when we were younger where you stood a chair up against the wall and stepped back I don't know if it was two or three feet I don't remember; lean forward, put your head against the wall and try to pick up the chair by its seat. A man can't do that but a woman can -well at least we could then.

Another one was kneeling on the floor elbow against your knee and forearm flat out. Stand a pack of cigarettes or a deck of cards up against your fingertips, put your hands behind your back, lean over and knock the cigarette pack over with your nose.

Men can't do that but women can so I wonder if this has anything to do with the COG
 
Well I just tried it again..this time I kept my trainers on, instead of just barefeet, and I was able to 'plank' with ease.. however I couldn't hold it because my lower lumber pain started almost immediately..
 
RadishRose said:
I wonder if this has any anything to do with a woman's center of gravity being lower than a man's.

There used to be a a little trick played at parties when we were younger where you stood a chair up against the wall and stepped back I don't know if it was two or three feet I don't remember; lean forward, put your head against the wall and try to pick up the chair by its seat. A man can't do that but a woman can -well at least we could then.

Another one was kneeling on the floor elbow against your knee and forearm flat out. Stand a pack of cigarettes or a deck of cards up against your fingertips, put your hands behind your back, lean over and knock the cigarette pack over with your nose.

Men can't do that but women can so I wonder if this has anything to do with the COG
Click to expand...

i remember those too. And i think you may be on to something. Average male COG is higher in the torso (closer to sternum) than average female COG (Pelvic region), that could mean less stress on their arms to support the lifted posture. i know i felt the tension more in my arms than my legs and i was able to get knees up.


COG can shift some with age due to changing postural habits in striving for feeling more stable if balance issues surfacing.
 

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